


Prelude to Chorus

by Snarky_SilverHaired_Sociopath



Series: Chorus [1]
Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Child Death, Emotional Manipulation, Gen, The end of the Merc trio, Villain Origin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-01
Updated: 2017-12-10
Packaged: 2019-02-09 02:02:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12877824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snarky_SilverHaired_Sociopath/pseuds/Snarky_SilverHaired_Sociopath
Summary: Money for the three bounty hunters was dwindling as of late, so Felix meets a mysterious stranger that proposes a possible solution. However, not everyone is on board...





	1. The Bounty Hunter

Felix, Locus, and Siris had just come back from another successful job. However, it wasn’t as profitable as they were hoping. Sirus had just done the math on his computer, and with the rising equipment costs, the actual profit was not looking good. He rubbed his temples in frustration.

“What’s the damage?” Felix asked, exasperated because he knew it wouldn’t be good.

“You’re definitely not gonna like the sound of this,” Siris replied.

All he did was turn the computer screen to the Felix. The mere sight of it was enough to send him into a rage. “Are you FUCKING kidding me?! That’s all we can get from this run?! What a load of shit!”

“Felix,” Locus replied in a calm demeanor.

“Oh, don’t you start! We’re out there busting our asses to get these bounties and we can’t even make more than enough to keep the lights on?! What has been happening with our contracts these days?! We used to be able to make millions in profits for each of us!”

“Look,” Siris interjected, “I’m not too happy about this either, but complaining about it won’t help anything. We just have to work with what we’ve got.”

“No, fuck that. We need some cash now!”

“Well, we could try to negotiate covering equipment costs without bounties.”

“You know the amount is non-negotiable,” Locus stated. “Also, there’s not a lot of people who would actually go for such a deal.”

“Y’know, if we opened up that legit mercenary business –“

“Felix, no!” Siris shouted. He wasn’t willing to have this conversation with him again.

“Come on! We can negotiate the prices, which includes equipment costs, and if we get high enough bidders, we could be sitting easy and not just be waiting for the next bounty to come up.”

“You know why we can’t do that! We can’t just be guns for hire!”

“Well,” Locus began, “while I usually wouldn’t like to go with Felix’s ideas, he does have a point.”

“What?!”

“It would make us more money in the long run. I’m not saying it’s perfect, but it’s something that’s more reliable financially.”

“Thank you!” Felix shouted. “Finally, someone with some goddamn sense around here! See, Siris? He’s actually one of the smart ones here!”

Sufficiently annoyed by his partner, he replied, “Do not make me regret agreeing with you already.”

“Sam,” Siris said, “you seriously can’t be buying this crap.”

“Codenames!”

Taken aback, Sirus took a deep breath and began again. “Locus, we’d be no better than the guys we take out.”

“Okay, look,” Felix said in a mocking tone of understanding. “I get what you're saying. I do. I really do. But you’re not thinking of the big picture. What happens when you’re struggling to make ends meet? I’m sure you want the Wu family to be very well taken care of.”

“Leave them out of this,” Siris coldly responded.

“Oh, this is the perfect time to bring them into this!”

“Felix,” Locus said as he loomed over them.

“I’m just saying you could possibly be ending up not bringing home the bacon and how do you think they’re gonna respond to that. ‘Oh, no! Is Daddy not gonna get any money? We’ll have to live out on the street and eat rats out of trash cans! What has our life become?!’”

After the melodramatic performance, all Locus and Siris could do was stare at him in disbelief. Felix scoffs. “Oh, fuck you guys. That was an Oscar-worthy performance.”

And with that, Siris shut his laptop. “We’re not doing this. We’ll figure out some other way to get more money out of bounties.”

Felix couldn’t believe what was happening as he watched Sirus walk out of the room. “Well fine!” Felix shouted. “I didn’t want you on the mercenary squad anyways! Locus and I can do just fine on our own!” He then turns to Locus. “Good job having my back there, buddy.” Locus’s cold eyes glared at him. Sometimes he wondered if Felix was genuinely capable of showing gratitude.

“Don’t get used to it.” With that Locus walked out as well. He couldn’t believe that his partners wouldn’t stand by him on this. It was unfair (in his eyes) that they wouldn’t go through with this plan. Frustrated, Felix soon decided to leave as well.

* * *

Felix sat in the bar, drinking away. He couldn’t believe how unreasonable Sirus was being about this. He was just trying to get some more money in. There was nothing wrong with that. _Stupid Siris. What’s the big deal? We kill people all the time. Why does he have to be such a pussy about this?_ “Bartender,” he shouted. “Give me another.”

“A please would be nice, asshole,” the bartender snapped back.

“Just get me the fucking drink.” The bartender left to go get another drink.

“You know, manners don’t cost much,” an older voice replied. Felix turned around and saw a bald, blue-eyed man in a business suit. The man walked to the seat next to him and took it. “Politeness can go a rather long way.”

_Great_ , Felix though, _now I’m getting shit-talked by this guy?_ “Mind your own business, old man,” he snapped unenthusiastically. He really didn’t want to deal with this right now.

“Now, now. No need to turn away a polite conversation.”

“Well, how about this. I’ll try being polite. So, could you _please_ fuck off and go back to wherever it is you came from. See? I said ‘please.’” He smiled smugly as he turned away and finished his drink.

The bartender returned with Felix’s new drink. “Here you go, Isaac.” Felix nodded and reached for his wallet.

“Allow me,” the man replied before pulling out a few dollars and paying the bartender. “It’s for him.” Confused, he still took the payment and walked away.

Felix, also confused, looked at the man. “I could’ve paid for that,” he remarked. Even though he didn’t want to pay for it, he still couldn’t bring himself to thank him.

“I know you could,” the man replied. “However, I felt that you might be more receptive to a business proposition I have for you.”

“Whatever it is, I’m not interested.”

“Oh, for the line of work I’m offering, I’m almost certain that you will be interested…” the man leaned in and whispered, “… _Felix_.” A flare of anger and paranoia arose inside of him. _How did he know that name?_ “And I also believe,” the man continued, “that your two colleagues would find the proposition interesting as well.”

He tried to keep himself under control (which was a bit harder with the alcohol in his system), Felix was absolutely furious. He had to find out what this guy knew.

The man stood up and adjusted his suit. “Shall we take this outside?”


	2. The Employer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The mysterious stranger explains his proposition to Felix. And it's Felix's job to convince Locus and Siris to take up the offer as well...

The older man took Felix out of the bar and Felix kept his hand close to his weapon. This guy had a lot of explaining to do and he was either to get some answers or blow his brains out to find them. Either way, Felix would find this extremely satisfying. _This prick is already on some thin motherfucking ice_ , he thought coldly. _He better say something good or else he isn’t gonna live for long._

The two made it to an alley around the bar where no one would be able to see them. “Is this place secure?” Felix asked.

“No cameras and very little pedestrian traffic,” the man responded. I guess he goes out getting dirty blowjobs often enough to know this. “We will be completely alone.”

“Good.” In a flash, Felix pulled a gun on the mam and shoved him into a wall. “Now, how the **fuck** did you know that name?! How did you know about my partners?!”

The old man was not fazed by this in the slightest. “I have resources,” he responded. “But I can assure you that I am not out to harm you.”

“Bullshit! I know you’re up to something!”

“Well, if I were planning to kill you, you would never know I existed. I prefer not to work in a direct fashion. Which actually relates to my proposition.”

Felix wasn’t too sure about this, but he decided to back off. However, he still kept his gun pointed at the man. “Talk.”

The man adjusted his suit once again. Hints of contempt could be seen in his expression. “My name is Malcolm Hargrove. Normally, I wouldn’t give my real name so soon, but I think you can be trusted not to mention this meeting to anyone.”

“If you’re still breathing by the end of it, I won’t say a word.”

Hargrove smirked. “Just as I thought. Now, what I am proposing could make you very, very rich. You and your partners will be rewarded handsomely should you successfully get me what I want.”

Now he was interested. “How rich are we talking?”

“Rich enough to retire ten times over.”

_There’s no way he could have that much money. It’s too good to be true._ “You’re bluffing.”

“I can assure you that this deal is very real.”

Felix paused, but he decided to put away his gun. “What’s the job you want us for.”

“Well, I can’t really say too much about it right now. All I can say now is that I need people who are comfortable with killing a lot of people for a lot of money.”

_I could definitely do that._ Felix really liked the sound of where this was all going. And it would be even better than his freelance mercenary idea. But there was one question he had to ask. “What’s the catch?”

“No catch. You can accept on your own if you want, but all I ask you to do is to inform your partners that there is a deal that you have. Then you contact me on this device to let me inform you all of the necessary details.” Hargrove handed him what looked like a smartphone. “Oh, and one last thing. You are to refer to me as ‘Control’ when you propose this to your colleagues. You must not use my real name in any interaction that is not in person.”

As Hargrove walked away, he added, “I’m sure you understand the importance of that, Mr. Gates.” Felix looked up incredulously at this mysterious old man when he said the name. “You have twenty-four hours to contact me again should you accept the offer; the same amount of time I’ll give you to convince your teammates. I know **you’ll** make the right decision. And I certainly hope that your partners will do the same.”

Felix was left alone in the alley as he looked down at this mysterious device. _Well… it looks like the three of us will be picking up one hell of a paycheck._ He took out his phone and called Locus. “Hey, it’s me.”

Felix could hear Locus grumbling. _I guess I woke him up._ “What do you want?”

“What if I told you that I just potentially got ourselves a way to make shit-load of money?”

He heard silence momentarily over the line. After a few moments, Locus finally spoke up. “I’m listening.”

“Meet me at home base 0600 tomorrow. I’ll call Siris and I’ll give you the details there.” A grin crept up on locus’s face, increasingly more devious.

* * *

After Felix finished explaining his encounter, the two stared at him in disbelief. Siris was the first to speak up. “Felix…” Still, he was at a loss for words.

“I know,” Felix began. “It all sounds too good to be true, but if this guy is telling the truth, then we could be enjoying lot of spare cash for –“

“ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?”

“Say what now?”

“You expect us to become murderers for some shady guy that you don’t even actually know?!”

“He told me his name! That has to count for something.”

“A name that you’re not allowed to tell us yet.”

“Well, considering the fact that we’ve done a lot of murder on the job already, I didn’t think it would be that big of a deal.”

“That’s not the same thing! Locus, you have to understand that!” Locus didn’t reply, something that worried. “Sam!”

“…Look,” Locus began, “what Felix is proposing may seem bad, but it’s no different from the war.” Siris started to back down as he heard what he had to say. “We were told to kill when ordered to and had to follow those orders to the letter without question. And if we’re being fair… not all of it is exactly ethical.”

Siris was virtually speechless. “I… I can’t believe this. I thought we were trying to leave the war behind.”

“And look how well we did with that!” Felix interrupted. “It’s been God-knows-how-long and we’re still pulling off dangerous assignments where we get money to apprehend people and kill anyone who tries to stop us!” He then got in Siris’ face. “You think we left the war behind? Wake up, Mason! We’re still doing the same shit. Just because we’re doing it for ‘the greater good,’ whatever the fuck that means, It’s still! The same! Shit!”

“You keep trying to justify it in your head, but it doesn’t change the fact we’d be no better than the people we try to apprehend!” He then turns to Locus. “And, I can’t believe that you of all people would go along with this, Sam!”

Locus simply looked away from him. He made his choice. “I’m still going with Gates. If this could possibly get us some money –“

“ **Fuck the money!** ” Siris shouted. “What about principles?! We may be killers, but we’re not guns for hire. We’re not supposed to be going to the highest bidder.”

Felix simply scoffed at him. “You really should be thinking about your family. Think of it. Retirement would be set. Think of what you could do for them.”

“And how do you think I’ll explain the fact that I’m working for some unknown man who’s asking us to kill, and I quote, ‘a lot of people for a lot of money.’ How could you be okay with that?”

“How are you **not** okay with that?! It’s a job! Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“Not a job like this!” Siris sighed. “Look, I don’t know what this guy is offering, but I highly doubt that it’s worth it.”

“Of fucking course, you would say that.” He crossed his arms like a defiant child.

“You can say all that you want, I’m not going along with this. I’m sorry… but you guys are on your own.” And with that, Siris turned around and left.

“Well, good riddance, you son of a bitch!” He then turned to Locus and put his hand on his shoulder. “It’s alright man. We don’t need him. We do great on our own.”

However, Locus remanded silent before speaking up. “Are you sure about this?” he asked. “Leaving Siris behind?”

“Hey, if he wants to be a whiny bitch about it, then that’s his problem. We’re the survivors. The people willing to go the extra mile to get ahead.” Locus averted his face with a sullen expression. Looks like it’ll take some more convincing, Felix though. “Come on, Sam. You know that we work best together. And those who aren’t strong enough die out. We’re the stronger ones. Siris is gonna get left behind because he won’t accept this offer. Do you wanna be in his league?”

With that, Locus crossed his arms and sighed. “I don’t like not knowing everything about this deal… but if this is really what you think it is… then I’d be a fool for not taking it.”

_Hook, line, and sinker._ Felix smiled. “Damn right, you would. Now, let’s do this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, Felix is definitely looking more manipulative of Locus now. Wondering where this could possibly lead? (I'm sure you could figure it out.)


	3. The Proposition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Control takes the time to explain his job offer, but it seems that there may be a string attached...

Felix held the phone and prepared to dial the number. “You ready?” he asked. He got a nod from his partner. Felix sighed and started to contact Control. “Here goes nothing.”

The phone rang a few times and a mechanical, distorted voice came over the speaker. “So,” it began, “you gentlemen have decided to accept my proposal. And who is with you today?”

Felix looked at Locus, confused by the voice. “Uh… is this… a computer or something?”

“I assure you that I am the man you spoke to last night, Felix. I am only using a voice modulation software. I can’t really afford not to be careful. Will this be an issue for you?”

Felix shrugged, “I guess not. So long as you’re gonna be paying us.”

“Marvelous. Now, to my initial inquiry, who is with you today, Felix?”

Locus spoke up, “This is Locus, reporting for duty.”

“I see. And the man codenamed ‘Siris?’ Will he be joining us today?”

“Siris has… declined the offer.”

The line was silent for a moment, as Control was contemplating. “I see. Most unfortunate. But that does not matter now. Time to get on to business.

“Fuck yeah,” Felix responded. “So, will you be making the payment in cash or will you be wiring over the money?” Locus smacked the back of his head.

“Felix, I do ask that you remain professional. We will discuss the monetary compensation later in this conversation.”

“Apologies for his behavior,” Locus responded. “I’ll be keeping him in line.” Locus shot him a death-glare and Felix immediately backed down.

“I had assumed that such behavior was inevitable. However, it does not seem to impede your performance in the field, so I am willing to overlook that.”

Felix looked incredulously. “I’m… not exactly sure how to take that.”

“For now,” he continued while not acknowledging Felix’s comment, “let us get started with my proposal. I must begin by saying that should you choose to accept this job, you will be legally obligated to not discuss this with anyone prior to the assignment. You will be bound to the agreement after hearing what I have to say to you. If you fail to comply, you will be severely punished. If either of you has any second thoughts about this agreement, please leave now and the remaining candidate will carry out the mission. Do I make myself clear?”

“Crystal,” Felix said.

He looked over to Locus to see his response. He plainly said, “Yes, sir.”

“Good,” Control responded. “Now, the mission I have in mind for you gentlemen is on a distant planet known as Chorus.”

“Never heard of it,” Felix said.

“I wouldn’t expect you to. It is a small planet just on the edge of colonized space. It has been more-or-less forgotten by the UNSC, but the planet does show much promise of containing ancient alien technology to be recovered. I need your help in recovering that technology. From there, it will be used to manufacture a new breed of weaponry that will be very profitable.”

“That doesn’t sound like a job you’d need mercenaries for,” Locus noted. “What would you need with us?”

“This brings me to the major issue, Locus. The problem is that there are inhabitants on the planet that are impeding my company’s efforts to scavenge the planet. And they must be eliminated.”

“You want us to kill an entire population?” Locus was more apprehensive about this now, but he noticed that Felix had not changed his expression. Something that started to disturb him.

“Not exactly.” Both the mercenaries looked incredulously at each other, wondering what he could possibly mean by it. “The people on this planet are engaged in a civil war that has been spanning a few years now. The New Republic of Chorus and the Federal Army of Chorus. They are fighting for control of the capital, Armonia. This presents a unique opportunity that we can use to our advantage.

“You are to go to each go to the opposite armies and move them closer to eradicating each other so that we can later loot the planet for resources.”

“Okay,” Felix spoke up, “Not to shit on your whole plan – or to put us out of a job – but why exactly would you not just nuke the planet from orbit? Seems simpler and easier.”

“Because, Felix, appearances are everything in a situation like this. If an entire population suddenly dies overnight, there will be questions. Large investigations. Things that make an unimpeded acquisition of the alien technology very difficult. However, if you were to, by complete coincidence, come across the planet and find the original settlers had **killed each other** … that would be nothing more than an unfortunate tragedy. Something that can easily be covered up. Your involvement will not be noticed if the only people who know anything about it are financially obligated to keep quiet… or dead.”

 _Another war_ , Felix thought. _This seems like the perfect thing for…_ His thought was interrupted by Locus’ unsure expression. _On second thought, he might need some more convincing._ “So…” Locus began, “…will you be providing supplies for us to work with?”

“Now that’s a good question,” Felix noted. _And thankfully not one questioning the ethics of this like a certain **someone** …_

“Tractor beams will be set up on the planet to get you more supplies to work with as you set their armies against each other,” Control replied. “I will be directing some supply ships with more weapons and technology to use. I will also be providing you with some extra technology from the organization, Project Freelancer. Don’t be surprised if you haven’t heard of it. You will be very pleased with the results. The rest will be up to you. Your skills will push you forward. And I will be providing the cover story for your respective armies to believe.

“Based on the information on your personalities, I will assign you to the armies personally. Felix, you will be working with the rebel army of the New Republic.”

“Oh! Because I’m a rebel, right?” Felix couldn’t help but brag about himself. Locus rolled his eyes at this.

Judging by the length of silence from the other end, Control shared similar sentiments. “I’m just going to ignore that.” _Hmph. And he accuses me of not having manners._ “Locus, you will be working with the Federal Army. Due to your professional attitude, you will work well with their organized structure”

“Yes, sir,” Locus replied.

“Marvelous. I will be delivering you some of your old UNSC armor to customize as you wish. I will need to know that you are willing to carry out this task before going to the planet to begin the operation. Think of it as a… test of loyalty.”

“And what would that be?”

The line was silent once again. _You know that dramatic pause thing is getting really annoying._ “Your partner, Siris, may be a liability now that he knows that you are taking this job. He may not know what it is, but I think this provides a perfect opportunity to show that you are willing to do the job.”

Locus didn’t like where this was going. “What exactly do you mean?”

“To prove that you are willing to cut ties and become loyal soldiers in my acquisition… you are to kill Siris and his family.” Even Felix was in shock. Locus was mortified. “If you kill them and show me that you are willing to take the next step in furthering this civil war, you will be shipped out with everything you could possibly need for the mission.”

“Um…” Felix started, “Are you serious about this?”

“This is nothing more than a test of character. I can’t have my soldiers having a change of heart. You merely need to cut ties with your partner if you are willing to go to Chorus and complete this mission. And since leaving a widow and child behind would cause suspicions, I will allow you to let them all die together.”

Felix, while initially shocked by the sudden request, started to become more comfortable. _You know what? Fine. He wanted to turn his back on this deal, so he’s paying the price. And we might as well send him and his family to Hell together._ On the other hand, Locus was having trouble processing this utterly ruthless order. He couldn’t fathom having to murder a partner of several years in cold blood simply for some man he didn’t even know. And having to murder his family didn’t make matters worse.

“I know the task may seem gruesome, but I wouldn’t ask my soldiers to do anything I wouldn’t personally be willing to do myself, if I had the extensive military training that you both do, of course. My point being, this is a job where a lot of… innocent people are going to be killed. If you’re unable to kill one, how could you be expected to kill hundreds of thousands?”

“I guess I see what you mean there,” Felix replied. _Goddamn. This guy does not fuck around._

“Are you sure there’s no other way?” Locus spoke up. Felix knew that it would be disastrous if Locus decided to turn this down.

Thankfully for him, Control responded with an airtight rebuke. “Locus, if you are having doubts about this task, I implore you to decline and walk away… but you won’t be walking away for long. You have heard my plans for Chorus. Do you really think I’d let you live if you knew that information?” Locus backed down, very unsure of the situation he has gotten himself into. “Well then, if there are no further questions at the moment, then I believe that it is the time to part ways. I expect to be hearing from you soon.”

The call ended, and all the two men could do was stare at each other. “Pretty nice guy, right?” Felix responded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep. Hargrove is definitely one piece of crap human being. But as you can see, Felix is on his way there pretty soon (if you don't think he's there already). Hargrove is already a sociopath, but Felix will be moving into textbook-psychopath territory soon enough. You'll definitely see in the next two chapters.


	4. The Doubts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Locus starts to be very wary about the orders given.

 

Siris drove all the way to his house thinking of the meeting with Felix. He wasn’t going to compromise simply for some cash. He couldn’t believe Felix was really going through with this. But it wasn’t his problem anymore. Mason Wu was not going to be a gun for hire no matter what his partner claimed would be good for them.

Mason returned to his home to find his young son, Henry, jumping into his arms. “DADDY!” he screamed.

“Hey, buddy!” Mason replied, happy to see him. He picked him up and carried him along. “I hope you haven’t been having too much fun while I was gone.”

“We made cookies for you!”

“For me?! Really?”

“We sure did,” Megan replied. His beautiful wife brought the batch in on the pan. “Fresh, just how you like them.”

He smiled as we put Henry down and went to pick one up. “You shouldn’t have.”

“Well, I figured since you’ve been having some troubles, I thought you might need a bit of a pick-me-up. Just something simple.”

Mason couldn’t have asked for a better family. He took a bite out of a cookie and couldn’t help bus smile at how delicious it was. “Does it taste good, dad?”

“It tastes fantastic,” Mason replied. “You two have really outdone yourselves.”

“Well, we had fun making them,” Megan said. “By the way, in exchange for these, you’ll have to clean up the mess in the kitchen for us. I hope you don’t mind.”

“What?”

Megan chuckled. “I’m kidding! We already cleaned it up while these were baking.” He breathed a sigh of relief as she kissed him on the cheek. “And I might have another treat for you to eat later.”

He laughed. “Not in front of Henry.” She laughed along with him. “Why don’t we just enjoy these lovely treats for now. Thank you so much for these.” He really could not have asked for a better family.

* * *

Felix stood in his former UNSC armor, admiring the view. He had now painted it gray with orange accents, and he was very proud of his work. “Wow, man,” he said, “Can you believe this thing still fits after all this time? Although the crotch seems to be a bit tighter. That’s gonna be a problem.”

He looked over to Locus who also kept his armor on, painting it darker gray with green accents. He looked at the Locus helmet with the X over it, still unsure of himself. He was not sure if he could go through with what Hargrove wanted. Killing Siris was bad enough, but his family? It wasn’t a weight that Locus was sure he could bear.

Felix noticed the contemplation he was going through. _Oh, boy. Here we go._ Felix walked over to him. “You feeling okay?”

Locus sighed before speaking up. “I don’t think we can do this.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Killing Siris’ family? I mean, is it really worth any of the money that we’ll get for this job? What if Control doesn’t deliver? It would be for nothing.”

Felix mockingly put his arms around Locus in a fake gesture of comfort. “Dude, you’re over thinking this. Just go with it.”

“How could you be so calm about this?!” He shouted as he stood up in a flash of anger. “This isn’t just some nameless enemy; this is our colleague!”

“Who fucking cares?! He clearly wasn’t gonna be there for us when we needed him to have our back. You haven’t forgotten the reason he isn’t here, right? He abandoned us.”

“So, we just kill him for that?! Is that what you’re saying?!”

“What do you want me to say? If he’s not coming along with us, then so be it. He’s out of the picture.”

Locus looked away and simply sat back down. “I’m not doing it.”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me, Felix.”

Felix was shocked and worried. He needed Locus for this. If he wasn’t going to come with him, then what was he going to do. But then it hit him. “Sam… don’t you want to be a soldier again?” Locus turned to him. “You said you wanted to be back on the battlefield a while back. I meant what I said to Siris yesterday. We haven’t left the war. You know that just as well as I do. So why not embrace it?”

Locus listened, very unsure of what to think of this whole idea. “Think about it. You always strived to be the perfect soldier when we were in training. And you strived to do so all throughout the Great War. You’re not gonna just throw all that shit away just because you’re worried about killing your friend? You remember just as well as I do that the military doesn’t take too kindly to deserters.”

While he still didn’t like this, Locus reluctantly admitted that Felix had a point. Exactly what he wanted him to think. “Plus, you remember what they said about being a true soldier. He doesn’t question his orders. He doesn’t mourn the fallen. He completes his mission and moves on to the next. That is what a true soldier is. So, if you want to be a true soldier, that’s one thing you’ll have to accept and go along with. You don’t like the orders? That’s fine. But that doesn’t mean you can get away with not following them.”

Locus thought about it. He didn’t want to do this, but… he did always strive to be the best soldier he could be. And if that meant following an order like this… then as much as he didn’t like it, he had to comply. “Alright,” he finally said. “I’ll do it.”

Felix smiled deviously as he put his hand on his shoulder. “Excellent. Now let’s get that helmet on.” Locus reluctantly placed the helmet on his head as Felix placed his Scout helmet on. Felix dragged him over to the mirror. “Look at us. Felix and Locus, back in action. We look pretty damn good if I do say so myself.”

Locus tensed up as he felt Felix’s hand go around his neck. “Yeah,” he quietly said.

“And pretty soon, Sirus is really gonna regret turning down the offer. Well, for as long as we let him live to regret it.”

Locus was disturbed by Felix’s new disposition. But he was determined to get this over with and go back to what he does best. Being a soldier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy family stuff that will eventually end in disaster! Yay! What's the point of killing you if I can't make you suffer first, right? Well, at least that's what Felix would say. :D
> 
> In all seriousness, things are really going to get bleak. If you thought Felix was bad in the show, wait until you see him in the next chapter...


	5. The Breaking Point

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felix and Locus complete their objective...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I highly recommend having a teddy bear close by for comfort. This one is gonna be the most distressing chapter of this fic.

The next night, Mason sat with Henry while he was drawing some pictures. “How does this look, dad?” Henry asks.

Mason held up the crayon drawing of him and his parents. It was crude, but not bad for a child of his age. “It looks great! So is that you, mommy, and me.”

“Yeah. And you gave me a piggyback ride.”

“Are you asking me to give you one?” Henry eagerly nods. “Well, alright.” He smiles and picks him up and walks him around while Henry laughs.

The doorbell rings and they both turn to it. “Mason,” Megan called out, “can you get the door?” He puts down Henry puts down and answers the door.

And upon opening it, he saw both the fully armored Locus and Felix. “How’s it going, buddy?” Felix notes just before knocking him out with the butt of his gun. Henry screams as Felix goes to capture him. He holds a gun to his head and goes into the kitchen with him to find Megan. “Meg! So happy to see you!” Now, she was mortified to see her crying son having a gun held to his head. “You can take him and come with us. We’re gonna need to have a little chat. And just remember, and this is the first time I’ve had to ask a woman this, try not to scream. Otherwise, your trip will be much shorter.”

* * *

Sometime later, Siris woke up, vaguely hearing the voices of his former colleagues, arguing. He had a bag over his head as the two mercenaries argued. “This isn’t how we should do things,” he heard Locus say.

“You always wanna be the big professional guy,” Felix replied, “but you know Siris deserves to suffer for abandoning us.”

“Then we do it quickly and efficiently. The theatrics are not necessary.”

“But they sure make things a hell of a lot more fun.”

Siris finally spoke up, “Sam… Isaac…”

Felix and Locus turned to him as they saw their captive was awake. “Oh, good,” Felix quipped. “He’s up.” Felix ripped the bag off his head and he was blinded by the sudden light. He saw both of them in their armor as they stared down at him. “Sorry about the whole knocking-you-out thing.”

“No, you’re not.”

“True,” he immediately fired back, “but we couldn’t afford to have you putting up a fight before we brought you here.”

“If you’re gonna kill me, just get it over with.” Then he heard muffled screaming coming from behind the two mercenaries. Immediately, he feared the worst.

“Not just you,” Locus said as they stepped out of the way. He sat across from Megan and Henry, both tied up and gagged. Tears streamed down their faces and Siris was horrified.

“Y…you can’t be serious! Isaac! What are you doing?!”

“Sorry,” Felix replied in a mockingly polite voice, “but we’re gonna have to go with codenames. You know how big a stickler Locus is for that, right?” Megan tried to fight the bonds and Felix stood behind her with his hands gently placed on her shoulders. “Sorry, Meg, but you won’t be getting out of those anytime soon. Best not to struggle.”

“GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY WIFE!”

Felix’s arms went up like her shoulders were on fire. “Whoa, now! No reason to get hysterical.” He walked around and added in a lower voice, “Not yet anyway.” Locus stood by with his gun in hand, he could barely put up with Felix’s sadistic display.

“Felix… what is this?”

“I’m so glad you asked! You see, the employer of ours was a little upset that you had turned down his deal. And he’d rather not have you running around.”

“So just kill me. Leave my family out of this!”

Locus forced himself to put up a professional attitude. “Control doesn’t want you leaving anyone behind. So… we’re getting rid of them, too.”

“Don’t take it personally,” Felix added with a chuckle. “If he hadn’t mentioned it, I would’ve just let you die in your eventual poverty since you couldn’t bring home the bacon. But when Control gave us this order, it was too good to resist.”

Tears started falling from Siris’ face as he found out what was going to happen. “You know… I would’ve expected this from you, Felix, but Sam?! You fought in the war to be an honorable soldier. And you aid in this?! Murdering my family?! You’re a disgrace of a soldier!”

And that struck a nerve with Locus. Partially because he knew he was right. But he couldn’t let those walls down. “We… were already disgraced. Becoming bounty hunters after serving our planet. I wouldn’t exactly call that honorable!”

“He’s got a point,” Felix chimed in. “And besides, the real disgrace was you leaving us behind. It’s a shame. Think of all the money you could’ve made for these two to live easy!” He put his hands on both their heads in a mocking way. “And now, you get some front row seats to watch them die. You really should’ve thought this through.”

Now rage was flaring up inside Siris thanks to Felix’s attempt to pin it all on him. Locus could even feel the pain this caused him. He wanted this to be over quickly, but Felix just  **had**  to drag it out longer.

Speaking of dragging it out, Felix decided to get close to Henry and talk to him. “Though before you die, I just wanna tell you some secrets. You know Santa Clause and the tooth fairy? Yeah, mommy and daddy lied to you. They’re both made up. They just put the money and presents out for you. And all those times you sat in Santa’s lap, just some washed-up high school dropout in a costume who couldn’t get the job at the nearest fast-food joint. I know it’s a lot to take in, but I just couldn’t, in good conscience, let you die not knowing that.”

Even Megan was appalled by Felix. She tried voicing her frustrations, but the gag was in the way. “Sorry,” Felix said as he removed the gag. “Didn’t quite catch that. What were you saying?”

“Felix,” Locus griped, fed up with the pointless cruelty. “End this. Now.”

“Hold on a sec, man. I wanna hear what she has to say. So, what was it, Megan?”

“You are monsters!” she spat at them.

“Hey, name-calling isn’t gonna get you anywhere. You don’t see me calling you a dirty slut, do you?”

“She’s not wrong, you know,” Siris yelled out. “You should be ashamed of yourselves!”

In response, Felix just gave a sinister laugh as he readied his suppressed pistol. “I don’t really think you’re in a position to be making me angry.” He aimed it at Henry’s head.

“No, WAIT!”

Felix pulled the trigger twice. With those two shots, Henry was dead. Megan let out a blood-curdling scream of sorrow as tears flowed from her face. Siris was still in shock. He didn’t believe that Felix would really do it.

“You feel that?” Felix added calmly as he walked towards Siris. “That hint of regret and sorrow? Failing to save one of your loved ones? Oh, it stings, doesn’t it?”

“You son of a bitch,” Siris spat with as much venom as possible. But Felix was immune to it all. Locus, on the other hand, was starting to have his doubts after watching Felix so callously shoot the young boy.

“Now,” Felix continued, “I can’t have all the fun, so why don’t we let Locus have the honor of shooting your old lady?” Locus hesitated to go to shoot Megan, almost unable to move from his spot.

“FUCK YOU!” she yelled at them.

“Holy shit! Your wife’s got some balls! Now I see why you married her.” He replaces the gag as Megan starts struggling again. “Locus, would you be a dear and shoot her for me?”

Locus reluctantly goes behind Megan and aims his rifle at her head. “Sam, please!” Siris begs, “You can’t do this! This isn’t you!”

“Bullshit,” Felix responds. “He wants to be a true soldier.”

Locus still hesitates to pull the trigger. “…but – “

“But nothing! When a  **true**  soldier is told to kill, he  **kills**. He doesn’t question why. He doesn’t mourn the fallen. He fulfills his role and moves on to the next."

Locus still hesitated to kill Megan “Sam,” Siris yelled, “don’t listen to him! You’re not like that! You’re not some killing machine!” Locus remained silent and Siris was getting desperate. “SAM! PLEASE JUST LISTEN TO ME!”

Locus pulled the trigger. Killing her. His response as he walked away from her body? “…codenames.” Siris was in a state of shock. Not only for his wife but the fact that Locus actually killed her. He didn’t know what to say.

Felix walked closer to Siris. “Now, I could kill you now, but that look on your face is just so satisfying. So, I’ll just let you wallow in your grief for a moment just to let you suffer a little – “ BANG! Felix was taken off guard when Siris was suddenly shot. “…longer.”

He looked up and saw the barrel of Locus’ gun next to Siris’ head. “Quickly and efficiently,” Locus coldly added.

“Just gotta suck the fuckin’ joy out of everything, don’t you?” He pulls out the communicator given to him by Hargrove. “I’ll let Control know to pick up the bodies.”

As he walked away, Locus regretfully looked at the corpses of his comrade and his family. He didn’t want to do it. He wanted it to be over quick at least. But he wasn’t given that satisfaction. Siris wasn’t the only one of them who suffered that day. He sighed to himself and said, “I’m sorry,” before walking away. Trying to not let the guilt eat him up inside.  _What’s done is done_ , he thought.  _I’ve completed the mission… now to move on to the next._


	6. The Soldiers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hargrove comes to pick up the mercenaries, and they're prepared for their assignment... whether they like it or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This'll be a short chapter. Just trying to wrap things up.

The dropship lowered to the landing platform as Locus and Felix waited patiently for their employer to land. Actually, only Locus waited patiently while Felix was growing more agitated by the second. _It’s about time he got here_ , Felix thought. _We’ve been waiting for half an hour. Goddamn._

The bay door opened up as they saw Hargrove awaiting the ramp to fully lower before he walked off the ship. He approached the two soldiers who had been expecting his arrival. “Good to see you again, Mr. Gates,” he said.

“Likewise,” Felix lied. _Would’ve liked it to be sooner, but sure. Fuck it. Whatever._

Hargrove then turned to Locus. “And I don’t believe we have had the pleasure of meeting.” He extends his hand. “Malcolm Hargrove. CEO of Charon Industries and Chairman of the UNSC’s Oversight Subcommittee.” The two shook hands. “I’m glad to finally meet you in person, Mr. Ortez.”

“Locus,” he immediately replied. Felix looked over at him. “I prefer to be called ‘Locus’.” He needed to be “Locus.” Locus was the soldier who fulfilled the mission at all cost. Samuel Ortez was only human and he could be subject to guilt. He didn’t need that. Locus was what he had to be. To keep the guilt from killing him inside.

“I assure you there is no need for codenames when meeting in person.”

“Just. Call me. ‘Locus.’” This startled both Felix and Hargrove. _Holy shit, dude! No need to pick a fight with the boss on your first day._

“Dude,” Felix said, “calm down.”

“No, Mr. Gates,” Hargrove began. “If your partner prefers the name of his armor, then I shall oblige him.” _Welp, I guess enabling a crazy person is a good idea in your mind._ “And if it’s all the same to you, maybe I should stick with your pseudonym as well. For consistency’s sake.”

Felix sighed and shrugged. “Fine. Wouldn’t want people knowing my real name anyway. ‘Felix’ it is.” _At least “Felix” is a normal fucking name._ But Felix had noticed a shift in Locus’ demeanor ever since killing the Wu family. He could tell it was eating him up inside. Felix assumed that this “call me ‘Locus’” thing was his defense mechanism. But there are worse ones to use. So, if it kept him focused on the job, Felix wasn’t going to argue. He might complain, but it’s not like he would be in any position to oppose the decision.

“So,” Felix continued, “about those bodies, you’re sure no one will find them?”

“My disposal crew will make sure everything is taken care of,” Hargrove responds. “I have enough resources to ensure that happens. You needn’t worry.” If only Locus could believe that. He felt a sting when Hargrove mentioned them.

“Great,” Felix said cheerfully. “Good to know that no trace of that traitor will be left.”

“Let’s get to the mission,” Locus snapped. He couldn’t bear to keep talking about it.

Both Felix and Hargrove, noticing his tone, agreed and moved on. “Very well,” Hargrove said. “Accompany me to the ship and we shall discuss the mission in more detail.” Both mercenaries followed Hargrove onto the ship.

There was no turning back now… for either of them…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end of the fic. I do have a plan to make more stories from the early days of the Chorus job. Not anytime soon, but I do want to start a series surrounding this. (Even if it's just two or three fics, which it likely will be.) If I do start a new story, it will follow up immediately where this one leaves off.
> 
> At any rate, thank you for reading and I hope you thought it was good. Please comment if you want. I'd like to know what you all think.
> 
>  **UPDATE:** I finally did get that new story started! It's called _Soul Clef XI_ and it's started already. I hope you take the time to read it. :)


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